Washington University in St. Louis selected to host Clinton Global Initiative University April 5-7, 2013

Chelsea Clinton announced during the annual Clinton Global Initiative meeting in New York on Sept. 25 that Washington University in St. Louis will serve as the host of the Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U), April 5-7, 2013, on the Danforth Campus.

Building on the successful model of the Clinton Global Initiative, which brings together world leaders to take action on global challenges, President Bill Clinton launched CGI U in 2007 to engage the next generation of leaders on college campuses around the world. Each year, CGI U hosts a meeting where students, youth organizations, topic experts and celebrities discuss solutions to pressing global issues.

“Washington University is proud to serve as the host of the 2013 Clinton Global Initiative University,” says Chancellor Mark S. Wrighton.

“We look forward to warmly welcoming the many CGI U visitors to our campus and to St. Louis in April," Wrighton says. "Public service and global leadership are at the heart of our mission. We share President Clinton’s vision for preparing young people who will contribute to solving the world’s most urgent problems.”

The meeting at WUSTL will bring together nearly 1,200 attendees to make a difference in CGI U's five focus areas: education, environment and climate change, peace and human rights, poverty alleviation and public health.

“Washington University was selected for this leadership role in part because of our institutional commitment to training the next generation of civic leaders,” says Amanda Moore McBride, PhD, director of the university’s Gephardt Institute for Public Service and associate dean at the Brown School.

“The excitement and spirit of CGI U will be felt through university events leading up to and after the annual CGI U Meeting, from the Gephardt Institute's current election activities through the Faces of Hope celebration.”

Approximately 200 WUSTL undergraduate and graduate students will be able to directly participate in CGI U and there will be additional volunteer opportunities during the meeting.

President Bill Clinton, founding chairman of the Clinton Global Initiative and 42nd president of the United States, hosts the closing session of the 2012 Clinton Global Initiative University meeting with Jon Stewart, host and executive producer of “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” on Comedy Central. George Washington University hosted the 2012 CGI U meeting.